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A Whole New World

I remember when the movie Aladdin came out. That was a great movie. It had everything...good, bad, tigers, parrots, Robin Williams, etc. It had a great song too. A Whole New World, they sang it on the magic carpet ride. Anyway, as my wife and I wade through the adoption process a whole new world has been opened up to me. I big, beautiful, incredible world. I wrote in an earlier post about how the adoption process has helped me realize how incredible God is to "adopt" us into His family.

In our home study interview my wife and I were asked how we planned on dealing with some of the issues we could face with our adopted child(ren). Since they will be coming to a whole new world pretty much. After we answered, I began to think how this process really does resemble and sinner's adoption into the Kingdom of God. How it really is a whole new world we are entering into.

The word that keeps coming to mind is grace. The grace of God that is so prevalent as we work through our attachment issues, our need cycles, our insecurities. Just like my child(ren) will do with their new family.

Its amazing what God does for us. I am thrilled not only to be adopting my new child(ren) into the family, but to have more new worlds opened to me that reveal the depth, the height, weight, and the beauty of the Father's love for me.

Scribbled Reminder

My wife posted this on our family blog and I thought it was great! Enjoy!

While doing my quiet time last week I turned the page in my journal to start a new entry.

Only, the page wasn't blank...

I talked with Ella later in the day and asked if she had written in my journal.

Her reply: Yea, I was just writing to God like you!

I'm glad to have her follow my footsteps in this area...but I was reminded once again of how closely my children are watching me. Everything I do is under their scrutiny. Even at their young ages. Even when I think it will go unnoticed.

They notice.

The Beauty of Adoption

For the past few years my wife and I have been praying for direction about adoption. We have always wanted to adopt a child (or two) into our home. While we didn't need to pray about inviting an orphan into our home and making them a part of our family, we wanted to be wise about where we adopted from and when. I am happy to say that we are starting the process this month. To our surprise, Andy Johnson, our children’s pastor, and his family are also on the road to adoption! We aren't in this alone!

As we start gathering and collecting for our home study, I can’t help but wonder if God felt the same way when he adopted me into his family. Did he have the same excitement and pride? Did he wait with great anticipation as I knelt and gave my life to him? I bet he did, and more. When you have children it opens up your eyes to how much God loves us as his children. You realize how deeply he must love us because of how deeply you love your children. It’s no different when you adopt.

Your adoption into God’s family is made clear. You can’t help but fall to your knees and thank him for giving you a hope and a home. Adoption is one of the most beautiful things we can do, and it is one the most incredible miracles God does for us.

The Facts of Haiti

Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere.

80% of its population live under the poverty line.

Over 54% of its people live in abject poverty.

It has been classified as a 5th world country: Not only experiencing negative growth, but showing negative potential for growth.

In other words it is seen as having no hope.

But. (a very big but)

We know better. There is always hope.

Hope found in a big God. The love of a big God.

The love that compels missionaries like Sherrie Faussie and Dorothy Pearce to spend their entire lives sharing that love with the Haitian people.

Love that should compel us to always keep the "least of these" in the forefront of our hearts.

In the welcoming page of Sherry Faussies website she shares her mission statement. You'll want to check it out. Here are the highlights of what her ministry is doing:

Everything we do points people towards accepting Jesus as their Savior and Lord. Love is not just telling, love is doing.

1. The children are hungry, so we feed them.

2. The children are sick, we give medicines.

3. The children are uneducated, so we provide education.

4. The children need churches, so we train pastors.

5. Children need good parents, so we teach parenting classes.

6. The young adults need job training, so we want to provide vocational classes.

7. The adults are illiterate, so we teach them how to read.

Dorothy Pearce runs an infant rescue and orphanage. She is taking in the children that the hospitals and other orphanages turn down. Children that suffer from incurable diseases.

I think what she is doing is best communicated by sharing the story of one of her children.

Let me introduce you to Johnny.

He has Aids and TB. He came to the Faith Hope Love Infant Rescue program in May of 2008. He showed immediate improvement at first just from receiving love and 3 meals a day.

Today though, his immune system is crashing. He cannot start his Aids medicines until he finishes his TB treatment.

He was the only Haitian child we met that did not smile. Ever.

We tried.

Despite his lack of smile, Johnny is being cared for, taken to the doctors, and loved.

Dorothy knows that there is no guarantee for Johnny to live.

She has in fact had several of the children in her care die to Aids.

But they died being held and loved and cried for.

You can read more of her story (and the other children in her care) here.

Two very different stories of ministry. One facilitates hundreds of children. The other just a dozen or so. Both being so vitally used for the glory of God.

I am convinced that nothing is gained when money is just thrown into Haiti or other poverty stricken countries. Real change. Life change. Change big enough for a whole country comes only with the heart change that Christ brings.

That need for a heart change is best communicated by telling of Gods love and doing Gods love.

Matthew 25:40

The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Now, my question to you...

What are you doing?